[Year 12 SofDev] GDAA conference panel - advice

[Steven Bird]

On 11/7/07, Adrian Janson <janson.adrian.a at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:
> I have been invited to take part in a panel discussion session at the GDAA
> (Game Developers Association of Australia) on the 15th November.  Also on
> the panel will be various stakeholders – including games programmers,
> ministers, tertiary reps., etc.
>
> The panel's brief is to discuss the falling enrolments in ICT and how to
> encourage students to undertake careers in the IT industry / games industry.

I worry that a games focus appeals mainly to boys, especially those
tending towards the autistic end of the spectrum who aspire to nothing
more than a back-office job.  The industry needs them, but doesn't
have to do much to attract them as they come anyway.  :-)

Would it be possible to bring out the richness of an IT career, with
its multifaceted roles (analysis, design, communication, interaction),
modes of collaboration (local, geographically distributed,
multidisciplinary), and its importance for the future information
society (health, science, education, entertainment)?  This would
appeal to a broader cross-section, including girls, cf [1].

[1] Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing
      http://books.google.com.au/books?id=StwGQw45YoEC

Steven Bird
http://www.csse.unimelb.edu.au/~sb/